Parsley Health Review – Is It Legit For PCOS + Primary Care?

In this day and age, customization and ease of use are two extremely important aspects of a consumer experience. Who wouldn’t want that to translate into your healthcare? Tailored, holistic, cause-driven care, all in the comfort of your home (or in a coffee shop, from your friend’s couch, at the beach – wherever you feel most at home!). With Parsley Health, your care is prioritized and tailored exactly to what you need, so you don’t just feel like another number or stat on a chart. 

Among the best primary care telemedicine platforms for women, Parsley Health stands out for holistic treatment and addressing the root cause of problems rather than masking symptoms. Parsley combines cutting-edge medicine and technology with a whole-body approach that everyone can benefit from.

Interested in the concept of tailored, online, holistic medicine? Keep reading to learn more about Parsley Health and how you can receive personalized primary care from the comfort of your home.

A little primer on online primary care

After the last two and a half years’ worth of the shift to online work, shopping, appointments, etc., due to COVID, it just makes sense for telehealth to continue to be on the rise. Telehealth allows for a convenient, easy, and comfortable option for women to be connected with the exact resources they need at the right time – with increased communication. 

Women, in particular, have a large opportunity for telehealth with maternal health, prevention, and disease management, making up a large portion (88%) of the studied intervention with telehealth primary care. Things like lactation, peripartum care, breast cancer treatment/survivorship, prenatal care, and PCOS are all areas of treatment women have utilized through telemedicine, among many others.

By creating a personalized approach to healthcare through telehealth, it allows women to get the specific care they need to treat their unique health challenges. Platforms like Parsley Health are designed to help women get the personalized care that they deserve.

Not only are telehealth appointments perfect for convenience, but they are also great for those particularly awkward conversations that some prefer not to have face-to-face with their doctors. With telehealth, you can skip the hand sweats while discussing your sensitive or intimate issues. 

What is Parsley Health?

Simply put, Parsley Health is a one-stop shop for telehealth treatment for women. With world-class doctors analyzing your health through in-depth interviews, Parsley Health develops a personalized approach that combines conventional and functional medicine to heal any ailments naturally. In the first year, 80% of Parsley’s patients reported improved symptoms as a result of this holistic approach.

Parsley’s preventative approach to your health

Source: Parsley Health

Have you ever had the inkling feeling that even despite your periodic visits to the doctor, you still don’t feel completely well? The explanation could be that most primary care physicians focus on acute care rather than basic preventative care or chronic illness reversal.

Dr. Robin Berzin, MD, founded Parsley Health to provide an alternative to the broken healthcare system she witnessed around her. Rather than simply masking the problem at hand, Parsley Health takes a holistic approach to chronic disease care, examining a patient’s sleep, fitness, diet, and mental health to establish health optimization. So, even if you’re feeling okay right now, Parsley Health will ensure you’re improving all aspects of your health to avoid future problems.

What conditions does Parsley Health treat?

Source: Parsley Health

Along with preventative care, Parsley Health tackles a wide range of female medical issues. There are several problems and disorders in each area that the Parsley Health doctors are trained to analyze, diagnose, and treat.

Parsley’s holistic diagnostic tests

Source: Parsley Health

If you want to get to the bottom of your problems, Parsley Health recommends that you try DNA testing, as genetics can strongly influence your predisposition to specific health conditions.

Parsley Health provides both routine blood tests and in-depth specialty testing. At Parsley, you can get advanced, personalized testing that will assist your doctor and health coach in building a tailored health plan based on your test findings, health history, and symptoms that drive real results.

The comprehensive testing choices offered by Parsley Health include everything from thyroid panels and blood count tests to genetic testing, gut microbiome, and food sensitivity tests. 

Many of their specialty tests are available via mail: they’ll send you a kit, you give a sample, and then return it. You can also have your tests done at one of their affiliated local labs like Bioreference, LabCorp, or Quest.

How does Parsley Health work?

Signing up for and accessing Parsley Health is a simple process. To begin, you’ll complete a symptoms quiz in which you’ll enter your email address and answer questions about your symptoms, customized with a Parsley Symptom Index (PSI). They’ll then offer you a personalized plan to help you based on your answers to symptoms and the intensity scale with which you are experiencing them.

Source: Parsley Health

Parsley’s symptom test focuses on reproductive, mental, hair, skin, metabolic, gastrointestinal, neurological, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and respiratory problems. This Parsley symptom test is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe diseases and does not provide clinical or medical advice. It simply narrows down your symptoms and, right off the bat, recommends certain behaviors you can establish, such as breathing exercises or dietary changes.

Love the idea of this? Well, it’s actually just the tip of the iceberg; the full treatment begins after these initial recommendations. 

Source: Parsley Health

Getting started: 

• Answer an in-depth questionnaire comprising of your health history, genetic predisposition, and lifestyle
• Select your medical team 
• 60-minute initial appointment with your doctor
• 45-minute initial appointment with your health coach

Assessments/insights:

• Complete doctor-recommended blood work and other testing (if necessary) 
• Review results with your team and receive treatment recommendations
• Receive personalized health plan to address underlying conditions

Treatment/progress:

• Begin a personalized plan, and start tracking progress with Parsley Symptom Index
• Get 8 additional (10 total) annual appointments with your team (4 with your doctor, 4 with your health coach)
• Reassess plan and conduct additional testing as necessary

If you are weary of starting your treatment with Parsley Health, their friendly membership advisors can answer all of your questions with a free 15-minute call.

While medications are prescribed as needed, Parsley’s doctors and health coaches have advanced training in functional medicine, allowing them to create a personalized plan that includes recommended lifestyle changes, nutrition, and nontraditional treatments like acupuncture to heal symptoms where they begin.

Rather than a separate treatment for each symptom, your doctor can give medication that addresses the underlying reason for your worries. In fact, Parsley Health claims that 77% of their members have actually reduced the number of prescriptions they require over time.

Source: Parsley Health

Who are Parsley Health’s care managers and health coaches?

We’ve mentioned Parsley’s Health Coaches and Care Managers a lot, but who are they? Health coaches are committed to keeping you on track with lifestyle changes such as nutrition, sleep, and stress management, allowing you to optimize your success in the pursuit of health.

Care managers, on the other hand, promote a pleasant patient experience by coordinating lab/testing and answering any insurance or HSA/FSA questions.

You can enjoy unlimited messaging with your medical team as a member. Your doctor, health coach, and care manager are all part of this team. If you have any questions between sessions or want to inform them about how you’re responding to treatment, you can contact them at any time through your My Parsley Health portal.

What is Parsley Health’s supplement store?

Source: Parsley Health

Parsley Health has a supplement store with a wide variety of products for sale. Individual multivitamins and supplements such as Vitamin D, probiotics, and omega 3’s are available, as well as other health-related products such as protein powder, collagen, and immunological support.

While no dietary supplement or nutraceutical can legally claim to “treat” or “cure” an illness, the supplements recommended by Parsley Health are evidence-based in addressing or supporting the lifestyle-responsive conditions they manage on a daily basis.

How much does Parsley Health’s membership cost?

There are many perks to being a Parsley Health member. There are two different payment options. You can pay:

1. An annual $1,950/year ($163/month), saving you $150 
2. A monthly $175/month ($2,100/annually)

A membership with Parsley Health includes: 

• 5 in-depth medical visits with your Clinician
• 5 in-depth medical visits with your Health Coach
• A personalized health plan 
• Access to diagnostic testing 
• Unlimited messaging with your care team 
• 20% discounted membership rate at the online supplement store 
• Exclusive deals on Parsley-vetted foods and services from their partners

Does Parsley Health accept insurance? 

Parsley Health is currently out of network with most insurance plans (they offer in-network for Aetna NY members), but members with out-of-network coverage typically receive 40-70% reimbursement on clinical fees. Member services are available to discuss more coverage specific to your insurance plan. Some providers offer coverage for the cost of membership, lab work, and prescriptions. 

Many Parsley Health members use their FSA/HSA to pay for clinical fees, supplements, and specialty tests.

Does Parsley Health offer in-person appointments? 

Source: Parsley Health

Parsley Health online is currently available in 44 states and Washington, DC. They are not yet available in KS, NV, RI, UT, or WI.

In-person appointments are available if you reside near one of their Los Angeles or New York City centers. In addition to their hotel day spa ambiance, one perk of in-person visits is that while Parsley cannot provide controlled medications online, they can for in-person members.

You can also make an appointment to have your blood drawn in one of their flagship locations in New York or Los Angeles.

Best online platforms for women’s primary care: How does Parsley Health compare to other telemedicine providers?

Parsley Health isn’t the only telehealth platform available. Below is a comparison of Parsley Health vs Wisp vs Hello Alpha vs PlushCare to show you where Parsley Health stands among their competitors.